Comments on: Deterrence http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/09/29/deterrence/ Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes - Marcus Valerius Martialis Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Quilly Mammoth http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/09/29/deterrence/comment-page-1/#comment-67822 Quilly Mammoth Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:51:05 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/09/29/deterrence/#comment-67822 Shortly after 9-11 occurred there was a heavy and often emotional debate amongst some very intelligent people on Baen's Bar. One side that developed was the "Option Zero" group. Based on people's actual life experiences in Tehran and elsewhere this group feels that is almost a certainty that Al Qaeda and/or the Iranian Islamic Revolution will some day force the West to eventually glassify the middle east...precisely because of the sanity factor you mention. The only other option is to restore sanity to that area and that can _only_ be done through democritization. I'm not sure about the glassification part as being inevitable. But the argument was strong enough, combined with the realization that disengagement from being a force in international affairs would not stop AQ, that it changed my position on US military involvement overseas. I once, after the Evil Empire fell, agreed with people like Ron Paul. I now agree with the "neo-cons". If the nations in the ME do not become democracies we will be fighting them a long time...and they, indeed, just may push us into Option Zero. Shortly after 9-11 occurred there was a heavy and often emotional debate amongst some very intelligent people on Baen’s Bar. One side that developed was the “Option Zero” group. Based on people’s actual life experiences in Tehran and elsewhere this group feels that is almost a certainty that Al Qaeda and/or the Iranian Islamic Revolution will some day force the West to eventually glassify the middle east…precisely because of the sanity factor you mention.

The only other option is to restore sanity to that area and that can _only_ be done through democritization.

I’m not sure about the glassification part as being inevitable. But the argument was strong enough, combined with the realization that disengagement from being a force in international affairs would not stop AQ, that it changed my position on US military involvement overseas. I once, after the Evil Empire fell, agreed with people like Ron Paul. I now agree with the “neo-cons”.

If the nations in the ME do not become democracies we will be fighting them a long time…and they, indeed, just may push us into Option Zero.

]]> By: Bleepless http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/09/29/deterrence/comment-page-1/#comment-67799 Bleepless Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:54:33 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/09/29/deterrence/#comment-67799 Gaius, things may be even worse than that. A babbling loonie may end up not being able to find, or care about, the button because he is too busy raising giraffes in his shoes. An ideologue, however fanatical, has a certain internal consistency. The apocalyptic aspect of Islam mandates widespread destruction throughout the world before the Mahdi establishes universal Muslim rule. Nobody -- but nobody -- has asked A'jad whether or not he is the Mahdi, knows who the Mahdi is, or sees himself as a tool of the Mahdi in bringing destruction/Islamic rule. Perhaps someone should. Gaius, things may be even worse than that. A babbling loonie may end up not being able to find, or care about, the button because he is too busy raising giraffes in his shoes. An ideologue, however fanatical, has a certain internal consistency. The apocalyptic aspect of Islam mandates widespread destruction throughout the world before the Mahdi establishes universal Muslim rule. Nobody — but nobody — has asked A’jad whether or not he is the Mahdi, knows who the Mahdi is, or sees himself as a tool of the Mahdi in bringing destruction/Islamic rule.
Perhaps someone should.

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